Envelope



7 Aug. 3 ,1926. 1,594,511

v M. A. SWI-GERT ET Al.

ENVELOPE Filed July 29; 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllIll|llllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllillllllll 1% s" nmlmml|unnmmmlulmmmmlumummn Ill Patented Aug. 3, 1926.

MATID A. SWIGERT AND'I'IARRY A. SWIGERT, F EVANSTGN,.IJZLINOIS.

ENvE oPn.

Application-filed July 29, %18. Serial No. 247,245.

The present invent-ion relates to that class.

of envelopes that are used for transmit.- ting third class matter through the mails and the object of the invention, stated gen.-:

5 erally, is to provide an improved envelope of this class.

The postal rules and regulations require that envelopes of this class of mail matter shall be of such construction that their contents may be readily examined by the post off ce inspectors and, for this purpose, completely withdrawn from the envelope, if necessary, without mutilating. the envelope or breaking any seal, howeversmall or of whatever nature, While at the same time efiiciency in use requires that theload or contents of the envelope be prevented from accidentally escaping from the envelope while being handled or in transit. Qther important desiderata are that the blank. maybe cut with a minimum waste of. stock and that weight be minimized. A minute saving of weight in a single envelop may not be suflicient to save the sender an additional unit rate of postage but when this small saving in Weight is multiplied many times, as the transportation of the immense volumes of mail matter that are handled by the postoflice department, it becomes significant.

From a commercial. standpoint, low cost of production is an essential desideratunnv and to this end the blank is made of such shape that it may be cut from the stock to the best possible advantage;

The term end is used in this specification more for the sake of simplicity and. convenience in describing some of the several forms of envelopes shown in the drawings, as embodying one or more of the several features of the invention, and is not to be taken or understood and construed-in its strict and more popularly accepted sense, which would tend to limit the invention and this specification to an envelope the top and bottom sides of which are of greater length than the endsides and the novel' features hereinafter described are applied to the end sides, commonly called the ends.

In all cases the envelope has four sides? and in many instances throughout this specification, excepting only, Where the context makes a more exact reading necessary to the sense, the term side may be read for the term end the spirit and intent of the invent on being that the hereinafter described novel features. may be any side compatible with. the aceornplishin of the functions aimed at, this being left to t e k l a d die etieao e m nuf turer. l l i To these ends the present invention may e emb ie in n nve ope hav ro a e d je n ns ne en a this m d flezged so as to lie against its inner face, a back, tothe (in the completed envelope) corresponding end of which said fold isse; cured by small dabs of gum located at points at ornear the top and bottom thereof respectively, and a loose flap joining the hack at the same end of the envelope, said loose flap being refiexed so as to lie against the inner face of the back and between it and the fold aforesaid, the three other sides of the envelope being closed" in any desired manner.

Or, within the s'eope of the invention theseconditions may be neversed. Thatis to y t e p n-en feldl t th env op may join the'baclr and the loose fl'ap may join the front, bet this would be less de sirable because it wonldrender the leading of the envelope more difii'cult. I

An envelope embodying. the invention has certain other minor features of constru ction or may'l'ack some of those mentioned, all as hereinafter described with referenceto the accompanying drawings which ar hereby made a part of this specification and in Which:.'

Figure I is a diagram of a blank from which is made the improved envelope, with all of its parts and features, off what,v for the purposes of this application, is selected as a basis for description. i

,Fig, II is a similar view after the end folds and loose flap have been folded against the inner faces of the front and back which they res ectively join, y

' Fig. II is a View of the rear side of the complete envelope in readiness for loading but before the sealing flap folded down.

Figs. IV, V and VI are fragmentary views of blanks of the open end o'fan envelope embodying some features of the invention t nder slight modifications.

Fig. V II is. a view of the rear-side of an envelope in readiness for loading, embodying. some features .Of the invention under other modifications.

Fig. VIIIis a diagram of the blank from which the envelope shown in Fig. VII is made.

Fig. IX is a view of the rear side of an envelope in readiness for loading, embodying the invention under still other modifications.

Fig. X is a diagram of a blank from which the envelope shown in Fig. IX is made.

Fig. XI is a diagram of the same blank at an intermediate stage in the process of making the envelopeshown in Fig. IX from the blank shown in Fig. X. j

In the drawings corresponding parts of the completed envelopes and of the blanks from which they are made bear similar 'refthe blank shown in Fig. I,'it is first folded upon the lines 3 and 4, completely across from top to bottom. This brings the closedend fold 8 and the open-end fold 10 against the inner face. of the front, 5, and the closed-end fold, 9, and the loose flap, 11,

" against the inner face of the back, 6. Paste,

gum, or any desired adhesive material may then be applied to the sealing flap, 7, as shown at 12, to one or both of the closedend flaps, 8 and 9, as shown at 13, and to the open-end fold, 10, the latter in the formof small dabs, 14:, located at'points at or near the ends thereof, or directly to the back, 6, at corresponding points. Then when the blank is folded on the line 2 the inner face of the back, 6, is brought against the inner face of the front, 5, throughout the greater part of their areas, the end folds, 8 and 9 are brought against each other and the envelope thereby permanently closed at this end, the loose flap 11, is brought against the open end fold,-10, so as to lie between it and the inner face of the back and the latter is brought-against the dabs, 14, reaching them through cutaway portions or notches, 15, with which the loose flap, 11, is provided.

As to all features so far described (num-.

bered 1 to 15 inclusive) this is all true of all of the figures of the drawings, excepting that in Figs. VII and VIII the front and back are arranged end to :end', instead of one above the other, and l are joined by a fold upon the line 3 thus forming a permanently closed end opposite the open end of the envelope, and the folds .8 and 9 join the front and back, respectively, along their longer bottom sides instead of along their shorter end sides; and the loose flap 11 joins the'back, through a fold along the line 1" located at the side of the blank opposite the side which the fold 10 joins instead of at the same side.

It-is also true of Figs. IX to XI, excepting in the respect of such changes as are necessitated by joining the closed-end fold 10 and loose flap 11 to the front and back, respectively, through folds upon lines extending along their longer bottom sides instead of along their shorter end sides, and, having both ofthese shorter end sides permanently closed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide some means hereinafter called a tongue by which the open-end fold 10 and with it the loose flap, 11, will, when the front and back are spread apart, be carried bythe back and' by it held a suflicient distance away from the inner surface of the front while the envelope is being loaded, to

insure that the enclosure will, with ease and certainty pass between the inner face of the front and the part lying against it, and at the same time be prevented from being accidentally forced out of the open end of the envelope. Thisis the principal featurethat is common to all of the various forms or modifications of envelopes embodying the invention whether the notch be present or not.

each of the notches 15, is of approximately In the form shown in Figs. I, II and III L-shape, one branch extending from the end of the loose flap and joining the other branch, which latter extends quite from the line of the fold through which the loose flap joins the back, inward toward, but not to, the inner edge of the loose flap, resulting in a tongue 16 of hook-shape which comprises a shoulder, 17 which lies adjacent to the inner side of the dab, 14, and a supplemental tongue 18, that extends outward toward the open end of the envelope and lies between the dab. 14. and the fold through which the front, 5, joins the back, 6, or the sealing flap, 7 as the case may be.

Thus when the envelope shown in Figs. I, II and III is completed and ready to receive its load, the loose flap, in its entirety, will lie between the open-end fold, 10, and the back, 6, so that when the front, 6, and back, 6, are spread apart for receiving the enclosure the back will carry the loose flap with it and the loose flap will also be prevented from escaping by reason of its being held between the end fold 10, and the back, 6.

The'loose flap is wholly unattached by gum to any part of the envelope so that when, for inspection purposes, the loaded and seal-ed envelope is squeezed by pressure against the top. and bottom. edges the loose flap and open-end fold will spread apart and permit its contents to be inspected through the opening thus made: or the enclosure may be completely withdrawn either with or without withdrawing the loose flap.

and, after thorough inspection, replaced through this same openin In replacingthe loose flap it is not practicable to readily and quickly replace the supplemental tongue 18 in the space between the open-end fold. l0, and the back, 6, and the dab 14. and fold through which the front, 5, joins the back, 6, or sealing flap, 7, as the case may be but in practice this is not essential. It is su.ncient if the major part of the loose flap be replaced between the open end fold, 10, and the back, 6, and between the inclosure and the front. This will iold the load in.

The inner edge of the loose flap may be straight from end to end and of considerable width, as shown in Figs. I, II, III and VI to XVI, inclusive, or it may be cut away as shown in Figs. IV and V, for the purpose of saving stock and reducing weight. Likewise the inner edge of the open end fold 10 maybe cut away, as shown in Figs. I, II and III for the same purpose, or it may be straight and of considerable width as shown in Figs. IV, V, VII, VIII and IX to X1 (the lattar for the more firmly holdingthe enclosure) or it may be quite narrow throughout its length as shown in Fig. VI.

The notch 15 and resulting tongue 16 of the loose flap may be variously shaped. The one shown in Figs. I, II, III, and its modeof operation have already been described.

In Figs. IV and V the notch opens at the end of the loose flap and the supple mental tongue projects in the same direction, providing a shoulder 17 which is substantially parallel with the open end of the envelope and therefore substantially perpendicular to the line of strain that is put upon the loose flap by the outward pressure put upon it from within. This offers a firm resistance to the accidental forcing out of the flap. Its intentional withdrawal from without for the purpose of inspection, is facilitated and the tearing of the tongue prerented by forming the shoulder on a slope the trend of which is outward toward the end of the tongue and away from the open end of the envelope. This slope may be produced by flaring the notch outward and this may be done by rounding oif itsedges as shown in Figs. IV, V and IX to XI, or making it of substantially .l-shape, as shown in Fig. VI. lVhen the open end of the envelope is opened up for inspection purposes the tendency will be to bow the loose flap and draw the sloping portion of the supplemental tongue into contact with the dab 14.

in Figs. VII and VIII the notch is rectangular and atone side extends quite to joining the loose flap to the line of the fold the back, and at an adjacent side extends quite to the end of the loose flap, resulting in a tongue 16 havinga shoulder 1 which is perfectly strai ht throughout and-is substantially perpendicular to the line of strain tending to force the loose flap out.

In all: of the forinso-f the invention, including the form now to be described, well as those above described, the envelope has a front and a back, a. loose flap. joining one end of either the front or the back and a tongue on the loose i'la-pen gaged by the back.

hereinbet'ore been mentioned. This was for the sake of convenience and simplicity of description, but it is manifest that while the one located near one of the four sides of the envelope may sutlicc it is believed that it will be better to use also a second one located at each end of the loose flap, as shown in the drawings.

What we claimas new is:

1. In an envelope of the class described, a back member, a front member, flap, a loose flap hinged to the end edge of one of said members, I an end fold hinged to the corresponding end edge of the other of said members, a dab of glue on the end of said end fold adjacent the sealing flap cementing said end of the end fold to the first mentioned member, the loose flap being so cut away at its ends adjacentthe dab of glue that when lying between the front and back members it interlocks with said dab.

2. An envelope having a front, a back, a loose flap joining one and a fold joining the other of them, both at the same side of the envelope, said fold and flap lying between the front and back thereof, said loose flap being cut away to form a tongue and a dab of adhesive material uniting the fold and back at a point adjacent to said tongue.

3. An envelope having a front section and a back section secured along one edge and side, a sealing flap secured to the front along the other side edge, an end fold joining the other end of the front section, a loose flap joining the corresponding end of the back section, said fold and back lying between said front and back sections,'the fold being attached by a dab of glue at its end adja cent the sealing flap to the back section, and a tongue on the loose flap partiall encircling the dab of glue whereby when the envelope is spread at the open side for the insertion of matter the end fold and loose flap move with the back section.

4. An envelope having a front, and a back, L fold, and a loose flap lying between and joining said front and back, respectively at the same end of the envelope said envelope embodying a sealing.

Only one notch and its accessories "hasloose flap having a notch resulting in a tongue having a sloping shoulder, and a dab of adhesive material joining the back and fold through said notch and lying adjacent to said shoulder.

5. An envelope having back sections attached along one side and one end and a sealing flap attached along the other side of the front section, a flap on the other end of the front section and attached at the end adjacent the sealing flap to the back section and a flap attached to the back section at the latter said end, cut away at its end adjacent the sealing flap to avoid the attachment between the first mentioned fiap and the back section and loosely turned in between and front a dab of glue on the end of said flap adjacent the sealing flap adhering to the other said section, a flap on the other said section loosely turned in between the same and the flap of the first said section extending substantially across the end of the envelope but cut away in an area corresponding to the dab of glue.

Mann A. swronn'r. HARRY A. SWIG-ERT. 

